Research at Kiel University

Clusters of Excellence

Kiel University has successfully obtained funding for three projects, each for two funding periods, as part of the Federal Excellence Initiative (2006-2019). The Clusters of Excellence “Future Ocean” and “Inflammation at Interfaces”, plus the Graduate School “Human Development in Landscapes”, deal with relevant research issues of our time. In the new Excellence Strategy, Kiel University has been successful with two cluster proposals: “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation” and "ROOTS - Societal, Environmental and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies".

Priority Research Areas of Kiel University

Kiel University’s four priority research areas (KMS - Kiel Marine Science, KLS - Kiel Life Science, SECC - Societal and Cultural Change, KiNSiS - Kiel Nano Surface & Interface Science) enable close interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration between different research fields on shared core topics. The priority research areas are also interlinked with one another and closely related to the CAU’s eight faculties.

Research at Kiel University

The CAU is Schleswig-Holstein’s only fully-fledged university with a major focus on research. Over time, four dynamic priority research areas have systematically developed which are based on strong disciplines interacting together - Marine Science, Life Science, Societal and Cultural Change, and Nano Surface & Interface Science. Each individual research area makes a substantial contribution towards dealing with at least one of the grand challenges of our time. Around 800 research projects - in national and international partnerships or by individual researchers - are funded by the federal or state government, the EU and by companies. There is also enormous research potential in addition to third-party funding grants.

The eight faculties at the CAU

When Kiel University was founded in 1665, the four traditional sciences were organised into faculties - Theology, Law, Medicine and Philosophy. These have expanded over the years to include separate faculties:

So the Natural Sciences and Humanities, the Business, Economics and Social Sciences as well the Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences received their own faculty. The most recent addition is the Faculty of Engineering on the Ostufer (east bank), which was founded in 1990.

Studying at Kiel University

With 190 degree programmes to choose from, Kiel University offers a great deal to learn and the opportunity to exchange ideas with lots of people. Students can select traditional subjects like law or medicine, as well as disciplines such as humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Applied fields of study such as material and technological sciences or agricultural and nutritional sciences offer particularly good career options.

Service

Maps and directions

Building sites & Campus development

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

Kiel University (CAU) was founded back in 1665. It is Schleswig-Holstein's oldest, largest and best-known university, with over 27,000 students and around 3,000 members of staff. It is also the only fully-fledged university in the state. Seven Nobel prize winners have worked here. The CAU has been successfully taking part in the Excellence Initiative since 2006.